The Sportswriters

posted by Michael Williams

Army vs. Navy, November 1948. As photographed by Cornell Capa for LIFE Magazine.

Jimmy Cannon (one of the greatest sportswriters of all time) famously said that Joe Louis was "a credit to his race, the human race." Not a bad dresser either.

Frank Graham
Joe Williams
Gus Steiger
Jesse Abramson

Comments on “The Sportswriters”

    Tintin on March 31, 2010 10:00 AM:

    The conservative nature of their business was balanced by a liberal bent as writers and a core sense of fair play. There’s some great sports writer interviews in a documentry on Toots Shor. A must see to get that vibe from these hard drinking and smoking characters. A feature’s editor tells me they’re still in the newsroom today. Although they don’t dress as well.

    lineage of influence on March 31, 2010 10:03 AM:

    Very cool and very dapper. Almost makes me want to go out and buy a hat. Almost.

    Brett on March 31, 2010 10:56 AM:

    Tres Bien.

    Geoff on March 31, 2010 12:54 PM:

    That’s it, I’m weak. I’m buying a hat damnit, and to hell with the naysayers.

    John Schulian on March 31, 2010 1:33 PM:

    As someone who was once a newspaper sports columnist and still occasionally writes about fun and games, I can safely say that nobody in my generation had threads like Cannon’s. Too many jeans, too few ties, if you know what I mean. There were even leisure suits when I started, but I hope most of you are young and innocent enough to know nothing of them. Would that we had taken our lead from Red Smith, who was once Cannon’s chief rival in New York and wrote with grace and wit until he was in his 70s. Red was always turned out in a blue blazer or corduroy sport coat, a button-down collar shirt and a stately tie. When he was mugged in the chaotic aftermath of the third Ali-Norton fight, at Yankee Stadium, he caught a glimpse of his attacker’s garish threads and said, “I wonder what he’s going to do with my Brooks Brothers charge card?”

    Andrea on March 31, 2010 8:26 PM:

    I think the threads are part of a package deal with the portable manual typewriters and the field glasses; smokes optional.

    DERRICK on April 1, 2010 11:17 AM:

    where’s shirley povich? :)

    DERRICK on April 1, 2010 11:19 AM:

    here’s shirley making me proud to be a washingtonian… http://njjewishnews.com/njjn.com/070308/sptSportswritingPHOTO2.jpg

    Jen on April 1, 2010 12:45 PM:

    John F. Kieran, sports writer for the NYTimes, amateur naturalist, and literature expert.
    http://www.time.com/time/magazine/article/0,9171,771306,00.html

    doane on April 1, 2010 9:22 PM:

    Gus is sportin’ some nice frames.

Comments are closed.